Which sentence is an example of onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia refers to the use of words that imitate the natural sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. In the example of the sentence "The clock ticked loudly in the silent room," the word "ticked" mimics the sound that clocks make as they measure time. This use of language effectively conveys a sensory experience, allowing the reader to "hear" the sound in their mind.

The other sentences do not feature words that imitate sounds in the same way. For instance, "The leaves rustled in the breeze" describes a sound but does not use a word that mimics that sound directly. Similarly, "The sun was bright and warm" conveys a visual and tactile experience but lacks any auditory element. In "The dog barked at the mailman," while "barked" indicates a sound that a dog makes, it does not effectively mimic that sound in a way typical of pure onomatopoeic terms like "bang" or "buzz." Thus, the choice reflecting the strongest usage of onomatopoeia is the one involving the ticking sound of the clock.